Scarlet Tanager Image by Kirsten Hines
A stop along the Florida Birding Trail, Matheson Hammock Park is comprised of grassy fields, dense mangroves and hardwood forests. These habitats host migratory songbirds and vagrants from the tropics. An old palm plantation provides a home for exotic birds like Orange-winged Parrots, Red-masked Parakeets and Common Hill Myna. Mangroves and coastal beaches see action from resident and migrating shorebirds and waders. Phoebes guide Rachel DiPietro will lead us in search of songbirds including tiny colorful warblers all preparing for their journey North at this tail end of Spring migration in South Florida.
This field trip also coincides with Global Big Day, an annual celebration of the birds. Global Big Day, a.k.a. World Migratory Bird Day, is a 24-hour challenge for birders the world over to submit their bird sightings to Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology. Global Big Day was conceived by the renowned Lab in 2015 to inspire more participants to add new bird sightings to its global bird database. (Cornell's comprehensive birding resources also include eBird, Merlin, the Macaulay Library and Birds of the World).
The birds we observe on our Phoebes field trips are entered into eBird, data that is used to understand global bird populations, so our birding is not only fun, but also for a good purpose! So this year, the Phoebes will be joining the world’s biggest birding community for Global Big Day.
WHAT: Bird walk for women birders and nature enthusiasts
WHEN: Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 7:30 AM to 10 AM
WHERE: Matheson Hammock Park, South Entrance, 9610 Old Cutler Rd, Miami, FL 33156 (Meet in the parking area at the South end of the park, adjacent to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden)
What to Pack: Hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, rain gear and binoculars. (If you don’t have binoculars, we will be providing optics on a first-come, first-served basis.)
QUESTIONS? Email hello@phoebesbirding.com